Businessman donates $29 million to help Minnesotans pay rent after ICE surge

A Twin Cities biotech entrepreneur has given away nearly twice the amount of money he had pledged to donate to help Minnesotans pay their rent after the federal immigration crackdown left families struggling to afford bills.

John Wilson has given away about $29 million so far to help thousands of families with rental assistance, up from the $16 million he vowed to give in March, and he expects to donate another $5 million or more for the effort.

Five months after the surge of federal agents receded, he and others who work with immigrant families say the need for financial assistance is still great for many Minnesotans affected by the 12-week Operation Metro Surge, which led to detentions and deportations and sent many immigrants into hiding out of fear they would be arrested if they left their house. That means some breadwinners are now gone and others were unable to work.

But the scope of need may just be coming into view now. Wilson said people were reluctant to ask for help, because they’re “eager to become self-sufficient.”

“I don’t know what would have happened in the absence of the amount of money we put in, but I have to believe that it would have been bad for the landlords,” he said. “Who knows where these families would’ve gone?"

Wilson’s company, Wilson Wolf Manufacturing, is a leader in cell and gene therapy and is valued at nearly $1 billion. In 2023, Wilson sold a nearly 20% stake in the company for $257 million and created the Wilson Foundation, which had about $80 million in cash as of earlier this year.

He estimates his foundation has made about 20,000 rent payments, and is continuing to give away about $1 million per week. He’s able to get money out quicker to people in need and with no restrictions like government aid.

Wilson knows what it’s like to struggle; he grew up living in rentals, mostly in a large apartment complex in St. Anthony. So when he saw Operation Metro Surge target immigrant communities, he instantly felt housing help would be key.

Using statewide figures and estimates from local groups, Wilson calculated that helping 5,500 households pay their rent through June would cost about $32 million. He originally planned to donate about half that and lobby other foundations to come up with the rest, but found “virtually no takers on the match” besides the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, which gave $1 million, and another organization that didn’t want to be named that gave $250,000.

Wilson mostly distributed the money through community groups of people who were already helping their neighbors.

Public assistance is also ramping up. The state is beginning to distribute $40 million in emergency rental assistance, and the city of Minneapolis allocated $3.8 million in emergency rental assistance, which Wilson matched with $3.8 million.

But the government money comes with income caps, and often applicants have to be on the verge of eviction to qualify. Those giving out Wilson donations are worried about whether the government money will be enough to keep a wave of people off the streets.

Pastor Miguel Aviles of La Viña Community Church in Burnsville worries what will happen to people he’s been helping pay for housing through the Wilson Foundation if they don’t qualify for government aid.

“If the money’s not available to them, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.

He’s happy that state lawmakers approved $40 million in aid, which is four times the usual amount, but he’s concerned that people without legal status — some of whom had their status revoked — will not qualify for aid or will have to wait weeks to get money.

His Latino church has received about $1.4 million from the Wilson Foundation, which, combined with $350,000 from other donors, has helped 1,212 families pay for housing for several months. The Wilson Foundation donation, which didn’t have the same limits as government aid, enabled his church to move swiftly; sometimes people apply one day and get a check the next, he said.

Without the foundation, he said, “I think we would have a lot of people on the streets.”

One woman was separated from her spouse during the surge, and was facing eviction after having a baby. She left the hospital to go to the church to apply for help. Another family’s father was detained for months, leaving his wife and two children behind on rent. They recently learned the father has been released and is coming home.

Diana Martelly, a University of St. Thomas adjunct mathematics professor, began helping Hispanic families who “disappeared” into hiding during the surge. She and about 20 volunteers delivered food and helped them pay bills through April, when the volunteers ran out of money.

She reached out to over 40 organizations seeking assistance, but none got back to her. After she read about Wilson, she got ahold of him. Without bureaucratic red tape, he was able to quickly funnel $35,000 to families through a Lutheran church in Minneapolis. He’s also committed to covering their August rent.

Some of the families have gotten their bearings; most still aren’t financially secure, Martelly said.

“I just feel like it’s going to take a long time for people to get back to that place where they can breathe,” she said.

One family’s father was deported after moving to the U.S. as a teenager and starting a business. They have five children, the youngest just a few weeks old. The Wilson Foundation money “carried them through” until the mother got a temporary job at Costco, Martelly said.

Stephanie Korchik, who’s been helping that Minneapolis church distribute over $300,000 from the Wilson Foundation, said they hoped people would be stabilized by May, but many people lost their jobs and ICE agents continue to arrest people, scaring some Minnesotans back into hiding.

“Everyone’s having a really hard time,” she said. “It’s just been really tough for people to get back on their feet.”

Korchik worries that government programs require people to be on the verge of eviction before they qualify for funds. Her group has helped people avoid getting to that point.

In northeast Minneapolis, Grace Lutheran Church has received over $1.4 million from the Wilson Foundation to distribute to hundreds of families. Requests for help peaked a few weeks ago.

“The need is just acute,” said the church’s pastor, Andrew Baumgartner. “It has a long tail.”

_____